When you’re looking to hire or be hired to a company, the employer needs to know more about who they are hiring. Think of it like starting a relationship. Before the employer can make a commitment, they need to know something about your history. An employee hr background check is comprehensive enough to make sure that hiring someone will promote productivity and safety in the workplace. So, here are a few things to know about background checks.
What a Background Check Looks For
There are different kinds of background checks that focus on different aspects of the prospect’s history. Employment background checks focus on the prospect’s employment history, searching for comments about their contribution to the workplace, reason for termination, etc. Criminal background checks look for records of any criminal activity; this is used primarily to ensure that people hired do not compromise the work environment in any way. Employers will typically run a background check using multiple options including a credit check. This helps them get the full picture of who they are hiring.
Other Uses for Background Checks
Universal background checks are more commonly used during the purchase of a firearm. Anytime a licensed seller of firearms is about to complete a transaction they run this kind of background check on the purchaser. Things that would block your ability to buy a weapon would be things like felony charges, some misdemeanors and open arrest warrants.
If Your Record is not Spotless
Having marks on your criminal record will not automatically tank your chances of being hired somewhere. It depends on several factors, the employer’s standards, your candidness and more. For example, there are jobs that don’t disqualify people if they were convicted of a felony as long as they meet certain conditions. While other workplaces would not accept a record like this, it is important to do your research ahead of time about who shows more leniency on those things.
Background checks are like a safety net designed ideally to filter between higher and lower risk individuals. It makes sense that if you’re going to hire someone to do work that will impact the company and the people who work in it, you need to get an idea of that person’s history. This can reveal their compatibility with current employees as well as their trustworthiness. Even outside of applying for jobs background checks can impact who can purchase weapons, which tries to avoid giving means to less than upstanding individuals.